


A Debt To Be Repaid

by Erinya



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-04-18
Updated: 2006-04-18
Packaged: 2017-11-07 16:41:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/433256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erinya/pseuds/Erinya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A parting of the ways.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Debt To Be Repaid

**Author's Note:**

> Written pre-DMC.

He knew--he _knew_.

Didn't tell no one outright, of course. But anyone could see he weren't easy in his mind, the way he paced the _Black Pearl_ 's deck, and ran his hands over her timbers, and whispered to her.

One day we took a prize: the _Sandpiper_ was her name, a pretty little sloop, graceful as you please and suitable for handling by one skilled sailor or a small crew. Jack came to me as I stood on her deck admiring the neat trim of her courses.

"She's yours, if you want her," he said, and I stared.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I owe you a ship."

Which was so, but hardly an explanation. And the fathom-deep darkness in his seaward gaze brought a dreadful suspicion to my mind.

"Jack Sparrow," I said, "what's in that daft head of yours? Why you payin' off your debts so sudden?"

"There's a storm coming, Ana," he said, in tones so grave I turned to glance at the horizon; but it was clear and blue as ever, and I knew at once that weren't the sort of storm he meant. "And it's not yours to weather, love."

"I don't understand," said I, but of course I did, not all but enough at least; and I shivered, from the look he gave me and the chill of foreboding in my blood. "You want me off the _Pearl_ , Captain?"

"A hand like you? 'Tis the last thing I want. All the same, I think 'twould be best, savvy? After all--" he spoke lightly now, though shadows still lurked in the dark pools of his eyes, and his smile didn't reach them-- "there ought to be someone left to come after me, if the worst should happen, eh?"

"An' what makes you think I would?" I countered, but we both knew the truth of it, and he smiled more real this time; it almost warmed me through.

He put that choice to all the _Pearls_ , though mayhaps on different terms. In the end only a few men crewed with me on the _Sandpiper_. And at last I stood at the helm of the little sloop and watched the _Pearl_ shrink to a dark smudge and vanish over the edge of the world.

I think I knew myself, then, what was to come. 

Blasted fool never gave me a chance to make good on my word.


End file.
